Peacocks and Predators

The raptor and the peacock hence, Sit pensive on a rambling fence. The first, inclined to be the host, Jumped down to claim the nearest post. The pea averse to snubs or quailing Moves closer on the weathered railing. Both immersed in trailing thoughts Mused on nigh, and what was naught. The Pea fans its tail in public splendor Cramped raptor prefers an opposing gender. He clasps a plume of gleaming thread To implant it on his own stark head. On and on, a grueling day Feathers plucked; cold work at play. Peafowl’s once featured feathered shafts Now forlornly bare and subject to draft. The predacious bird, a cocky thief Snidely at par, to a native chief. Clips of sun reveal a shadowy bane The unlikely pair cast as one and the same